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AUGUST 4, 2010: Journalist Arrested Over Kampala Bomb Blast Story

Journalist Arrested Over Kampala Bomb Blast Story

SOURCE: The Monitor

By Angelo Izama

Kampala — Timothy Kalyegira, a former Daily Monitor columnist and
current publisher of an online newspaper, yesterday became the first
Ugandan to face sedition charges arising from the use of new media.

Police on Monday summoned Mr Kalyegira to appear for interrogation
over reports that questioned whether it was really the Somali-based
militants, the al-Shabaab, that bombed and killed at least 80 people and
injured others in Kampala last month.

He was yesterday charged with sedition and released on bond after
spending seven hours at Kira Road Police Station. Daily Monitor's
Investigations Editor Chris Obore and society writer Robert Kalumba
stood surety and were ordered by Divisional CID boss Prudence Haguma, to
produce Mr Kalyegira in police today for further questioning. She
refused to comment about the proceedings. Mr Obore said, "What Timothy
[Kalyegira] wrote was within the realm of press freedom; he is free to
express his views and if anyone feels offended, they should provide what
they think is correct but not strangle other views."

Planned search

The police had planned to search Mr Kalyegira's home yesterday but
were discouraged by lack of transport and time as the questioning went
past 6 pm. Mr Kalyegira's website, www.ugandarecord.co.ug, has
questioned the official line in the 7/11 bombings. A debate over this
view has been raging on the site - as well as other websites and forums.
Till now, sedition charges have been brought against print and
broadcast journalists.

New ground

The arrest of an online publisher breaks new ground for the police
whose Media Crimes Division led yesterday's interrogation of Mr
Kalyegira. "They questioned him about his publication that the
government could have been behind the bomb attacks," said his lawyer and
human rights advocate Ladislaus Rwakafuzi. He said the police may also
have been interested in Mr Kalyegira's sources.

"They took his phone and seemed quite excited by his
correspondences," Mr Rwakafuzi said.

Yesterday, Mr Kalyegira said he thought the police were keen to see
if his sources were in anyway linked to the Rwandan government. "There
is paranoia about Rwanda and they seem to want to see if there is a link
but there is none," he said soon after he and his lawyer walked out of
the police. The journalist's wife spent much of the afternoon with him.
Mr Ssebagala Wokulira of the Journalism Protection Network, who came to
the police station, said, "It's up to journalists to fight for this
space."

Not issue

He said the police had managed to keep the journalist occupied the
whole day and away from his main job. The World Cup bomb blasts on July
11 have led to one of the most wide ranging security dragnets that have
led to close to 40 arrests. However, till now - and unlike the
disturbances of September 2009- the media have not been an issue.

The security minister, Mr Amama Mbabazi, has also pushed through an
eavesdropping law- which now allows authorities access to phone-calls,
emails and other communication from any individual. The al -Shabaab has
claimed responsibility for the attack in retaliation for Uganda's
involvement in peacekeeping operations in Somalia.